Traffic signs are quite old in the art, including signs that point to one side or the other, using an arrowhead-style pointer. Many of these traffic signs are self-illuminating, while others are reflective. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,439 (by O'Connell) discloses a light-reflective warning arrow that can be mounted on the raised trunk lid of an automobile, or can be magnetically secured to a metal body of a vehicle. The warning arrow is made of several brightly-colored pieces of fabric material, or self-adhering fabric strips that couple to the frame of the mounting portion. O'Connell states that the preferred material is a polypropylene film with an acrylic coating, which is a well-known material, and typically comes as an orange or white open-mesh fabric. This fabric can make up the background of a large rectangular sign. A second fabric material that can be selected from a solid polyester (that could be colored yellow) makes up a set of rectangular strips that are formed into an arrowhead shape.
O'Connell also uses a large number of small filaments that reflect light and run along the edges of some of the arrowhead-rectangular pieces. These filaments are fabricated from a sheet of SCOTCHLITE™ reflective material manufactured by 3M. O'Connell weaves these filaments into the edges of his rectangular arrowhead portions, and reduces the size of these filaments to about 0.015 inches in width. They are spaced longitudinally about 1/16 inches apart. The entire sign can be made to point either left or right, merely by reversing the orientation of the warning arrow mount. O'Connell discusses the idea of using a self-adhering fabric such as VELCRO™ that would hold the sign in place. The opposite half of the VELCRO fabric could be attached to the inner roof of the trunk of an automobile with some type of self-adhering adhesive strips. The adhesive strips can have a paper backing that is coated with a release compound, and when needed, the paper backing can be pulled off to expose the adhesive side of the VELCRO fabric strip. As an alternative, permanent magnets could be used to hold the sign to a metal structure, such as the inner roof of a trunk lid.
Another patented design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,369 (by McDonald), which discloses a traffic marker that can be placed on a road surface to indicate a detour lane for construction sites. The marker has the appearance of an arrowhead, and can consist of a single flat piece, or it can come in segments that are temporarily fastened together. One segmented embodiment arranges the arrowhead itself as a triangle, and two rectangular pieces are attached by an interlocking shape that fits like a jigsaw puzzle piece. One interlocking shape has the appearance of a trapezoid. In one segmented sign design, the interlocking pieces have a jigsaw puzzle-like appearance, in which the protruding interlocking pieces are referred to as a tenon, whereas the interlocking female portions are called a mortise.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,047 (by Means) discloses an extendable emergency vehicle safety barrier which has either reflectors or some type of illuminating lamps. The main embodiment shows a telescoping member that pulls out as three sections, each having a small rectangular-shaped reflector. Its main purpose is to be attached to the side of a vehicle (such as a truck), where it can be pivoted 90 degrees and then the telescoping members can be pulled out to provide some clearance such that other vehicles cannot pass too closely to the sides of the truck. The reflecting members are not arrow shaped.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,847 (by Scolari) discloses a telescoping emergency signal that extends vertically, and can be equipped with a strobe light. The first embodiment shows four telescoping sections that extend vertically up from a base section. The word HELP is on these four sections (one letter per section), and the letters in the word HELP are cutouts made of a translucent colored sheet material. There is also a reflector panel in the inner spaces, and a strobe light that reflects the colored surface of the reflector panels through the letters in the word HELP. A second embodiment discloses a vertical telescoping member that has four chevron-shaped arrows on the one telescoping member. Using strobe lights, the chevron arrow shapes can flash separately and sequentially, thereby creating a “moving signal.” This telescoping member slides back into a vertical base member that is held in place by a tripod-shaped stand. The overall device looks like a jack stand. However, the chevrons of the telescoping member do not have arrow “wings” or “arms” that extend beyond the outer dimensions of the telescoping member itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,836 (by Vreugdenhil) discloses a turn indicator for ships, which comprises a pivotable arrow shape with electric lights. An arrowhead-shaped design has a horizontal shaft and two pivotable arms that pivot at the tip of the arrow shaft. This device is not necessarily made to be reflective, but is made to be visible at relatively long distances (at least one mile) by the use of light bulbs that are spaced-apart by a minimum distance. Vreugdenhil's turn indicator apparently is designed to have two separate arrowhead tips, so that the pivotable arms on either end can be spread to indicate a turn either to the left or to the right. Of course, Vreugdenhil does not rely on reflective members, but provides light bulbs that will illuminate the shape of the turn indicator for quite a long distance, even in low visibility conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,387 (by Magliocco) discloses a portable street barrier that includes several pivotable lengths or sections that can be extended into a single long arm, much like a variable-length yardstick sold by Sears. The pivotable lengths can also be folded back into a very compact space. In two configurations the street barrier can have its arms folded into an asterisk shape to act as a “stop” indication, or can be pointing to the right to indicate the desired direction for traffic. Magliocco is pivotable in multiple segments throughout its entire length, and could be formed into other shapes. However, Magliocco could not be formed into two separate sets of arrow wings on opposite ends of the horizontal shaft, because its left end is attached to a vertical post that itself is mounted to the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,387 (by Sulenski) discloses a portable directional arrow sign that can be used to direct traffic either during day or night. The arrow is actually two separate housings, one which contains electrical lights for night use and the other that has a high-visibility reflective color for visibility in the daylight without use of light sources. The two separate housings are held together in a back-to-back orientation, and the fasteners disclosed are wing nuts. Both housings have a fixed “arrowhead” shape, which in the claims is described as a wedge-shaped head, and which has a pair of non-pivotable arms extending outwardly along either side of a horizontal “stem” to form an angle with the stem. The housings can be pointed either to the right or left, and can be magnetically or otherwise attached to a motor vehicle. The overall assembly preferably is sized so as to fit in an automobile trunk.
It would be an improvement to provide a highly-reflective, or retroreflective, traffic sign that can be used to point to the left or right, or to both directions simultaneously, which is made up of easily-assembled components that can be stored in the trunk of a standard automobile, or in a truck. It also would be an improvement to provide a highly-reflective, or retroreflective, traffic sign that exhibits arrowhead-shaped wing members that are pivotable about a main member, and which extend beyond the boundaries of the main member when in use, but which rotate to a neutral position along the main member when in storage. It would be a further improvement to make the reflective traffic sign mountable in various manners, including by use of hooks or string, or with built-in magnets.